Showing results by narrator "Miriam Margolyes" in All Categories

An everyday story of towering genius, set in and around the Lakeland retreat of William and Dorothy Wordsmith. The Wordsmiths have not long settled in their sublime cottage when they are visited by the inebriate Samuel Tailor Cholericke and the lascivious Lord Biro, followed by numerous other romantically inclined writers and leech-pedlars who arrive at the door of Vole Cottage. Dorothy must manage the increasingly chaotic household (assisted by Stinking Iris) while William focuses on his latest masterpiece, 'The Withered Turnip'.

Frustrated copy man Ken Handley cannot help but conceive of the world in advert form. Over three series witness Ken coping with a drunken boss, straight-laced colleagues and an overactive mind, as we follow his exploits and moral dilemmas in this advertising satire. Martin Jarvis stars as Ken, alongside a cast that includes Miriam Margolyes, Imelda Staunton, Christopher Godwin and Joss Ackland.

While they prepare for Passover, a family of Jewish women klezmer musicians struggles for survival, but music and love prove not enough, only the unthinkable can save them. Also features The Devil's Brides, music inspired by the audio play.

When her 13-year-old twins head off to boarding school, Felicity Willow decides it's time to reconnect with her husband, Paul. The years of childcare have taken their toll on the marriage and Felicity dives headfirst into trying to re-ignite that spark of love. Paul, somewhat bewildered by his wife's endeavours, gamely plays along with her efforts. Hilarity ensues as Felicity devotes all her energies into the new project but as it turns out, recapturing romantic bliss isn't as easy as it sounds, and poor Felicity feels thwarted at every turn.

In this volume, Shaun Usher turns to music in all its forms. Music elicits the full range of emotion from the human heart: from joy to despair, humour to awe. Letters of Note: Music brings together a riveting collection of letters by and about musicians and music that enrich our lives. Includes letters by Charles Mingus, Helen Keller, Nick Cave, Roger Taylor, Angelique Kidjo, and many more.

A BBC Radio 4 full-cast drama by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. Originally broadcast in the ‘Saturday Play’ slot on 8 November 2008. Wine shop owner Gerald desperately needs money: his business is failing and the landlord has raised the cost of the lease. When he inherits a watch that used to belong to wartime Nazi Joachim Von Ribbentrop he believes that his financial troubles are over. But it sparks conflict with his wife and brother, who question the ethics of the potential sale.

When Cow hears that she is going in a truck to never-come-back, her old friend Ratty knows that he must help her escape. They are joined by Woolly the tough, fierce lamb who doesn’t want to be lamb chops any more than Cow wants to be beef stew. As the three friends set out bravely into the unknown, they meet terrible dangers and kind strangers - and some who are not to be trusted. Told in Ratty’s own words, their amazing adventures make a wonderful story of courage and true friendship.

Once Upon a Timeless Tale Collection is a contemporary retelling of the most well-known and best-loved fairy tales of all time. Traditional stories from Hans Christian Anderson and Charles Perrault are brought alive for a fresh generation of listeners, giving these timeless classics a new lease on life. Once Upon a Timeless Tale Collection belongs in every child's audiobook collection.

Nothing escapes the snooping opera glasses of Miss Elizabeth Mapp. She whiles away her busy hours observing the small English village of Tilling, and recording the antics in her notebook. But her observations are set to be disrupted by amorous advances of two retired army generals, both vying for her affection. With Miss Mapp distracted, who will keep Miss Susan Poppit in her place or oversee the correct playing of bridge? More importantly will quiet Tilling be subject to a violent duel?

This fictional novella, by Chen Yuanbin, follows the quest of a pregnant Chinese peasant woman who is searching for a public apology from the authorities to compensate for her husband having been kicked by the head of their rural village.

Another collection of much-loved fairy tales retold for modern listeners. This second volume of the Once Upon a Timeless Tale Collection is a contemporary retelling of the most well-known and best-loved fairy tales of all time.

You have heard, no doubt, the tale of Master Oliver Twist - that rags-to-riches boy; the parish orphan who became heir to the Brownlow fortune. But what few know is that there was a second Twist - a girl, brought into this world moments ahead of her brother. This is the story of Twill Twist - and her journey through the gambling dens and workhouses of London, as she attempts to make a life for herself, rescue her friends and uncover the mystery of her past - while meeting some familiar faces along the way....

Although she has been raised by her father, 16-year-old Ginny has always felt a bond with her mother, a Haitian painter whom she has never known. Like her mother, Ginny is a talented and passionate artist. As the only mixed-race teen in a small Welsh village, Ginny hasn't always had an easy life, but her love for art has always helped her get along. Then her world is turned upside down. First she learns that she has a white half brother, the child of her father's first marriage. Then she uncovers some startling news about her mother. Suddenly, her whole life seems like a lie.

After a troubled childhood, Ann St Clair achieves independence by earning her living as an author of cheap Gothic novels. Within a group of male writers, she meets and is enthralled by the supposed poetic genius, Robert James. They become uneasy lovers. Ann and Robert James travel from London through a Europe exhausted by the long Napoleonic wars.

The first of Ayckbourn's darkly comic masterpieces involves a relentlessly cheerful handyman in a disastrously fractured marriage. Two couples develop an unlikely friendship in this painfully funny portrait of British suburban life.

Autumn, 1646. The English Civil War is raging and there’s trouble ahead for Sir John and Lady Anne Firebasket. There’s a Roundhead platoon camping out in the barn, a perplexed priest hiding behind the panelling and, unbeknown to the Firebaskets, their scullery maid Mercy is actually a disguised aristocrat (and Royalist spy) named Melissa Fortescue-Bottomley.

Radio legends Kenneth Williams (Beyond Our Ken, Hancock’s Half Hour) and Ted Ray (Ray’s a Laugh) join forces for this quickfire mix of characters, songs and sketches, first broadcast on Radio 2 in 1974. Accompanied by Quote… Unquote’s Nigel Rees and veteran actress/comedian Miriam Margolyes, they cross their comedy swords and trade playful repartee.

Ted Willis began his creative life in amateur theatre and journalism before moving into writing for films, TV and radio, and was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's most prolific writer for television. His best-known creation was the hit police procedural Dixon of Dock Green which he based on the stories told to him by a policeman friend. This radio anthology includes five of his best-loved crime tales from the 1960s, '70s and '80s.

Follow the uproarious antics of the Edwardian Fosdyke family as they work their way out of the mining pits of Lancashire to become rulers of a global tripe empire. An empire that the villainous Roger Ditchely will stop at nothing to try and bring down... A classic tale of struggle, power, personalities, and offal. Based on Bill Tidy's hugely popular Daily Mirror cartoon strip, this full-cast production is a laugh-out-loud parody of John Galsworthy's classic, 'The Forsyte Saga'.